•Normally, when you think of hive minds being invaded by brain-controlling, zombie-making parasites — and I know you do — you are thinking about a dark potential future (or at least Washington, DC — speaking of which, if you haven’t already watched this weekend’s Freedom Watch, airing again tonight at 7 and 11, note that [...]
Catch the sacred and the profane on this weekend’s Freedom Watch, first shown at 10am Eastern tomorrow on FBN, as the guests include prostitute turned novelist/activist Tracy Quan, defending the profession, and a polite debate between two libertarians with decidedly different philosophical foundations: Skeptic editor Michael Shermer and the Acton Institute’s Father Robert Sirico. They [...]
I’m not sure how much of the comedy value here was intentional, but my former employers at the American Council on Science and Health have created probably the funniest thing the organization has done, by plugging a dialogue about the (harmless but nonetheless feared) chemical BPA into this personalizable cartoon of talking bears.
In other cartoonish [...]
As the final World Cup match approaches, I can’t help thinking there is something familiar — and sinister — about the world delighting in combative arena-revels while thinking of a prophetic, tentacled beast with purported psychic powers.
And speaking of dread Cthulhu:
•This two-year-old story about a ban on photographs of H.P. Lovecraft’s grave was just brought [...]
The purportedly psychic (actually “prophetic” would seem to be the more apt adjective) octopus in Berlin who has been half-jokingly watched by the press, due to his thus-far-accurate “picks” for World Cup game victors, is a classic example of how people dupe themselves, with substantial help from irresponsible media.
It’s not that Paul picking winners is [...]
With our debate about burlesque-as-art tomorrow night (Thur. 8pm at Lolita Bar, no longer Wednesdays) likely hinging partly on the photographs of debater Monty Leman, I was reminded of the most disturbing photo I’ve ever seen — twenty-five years ago. With a moment’s Google search, I found it again all these years later, for [...]
Ali Kokmen says:
Available online for a few more days, at least, is [anarchist comic book writer] Alan Moore’s appearance on the BBC Radio science/comedy show The Infinite Monkey Cage, talking science and science fiction.
Bleeding Cool writes up the thing briefly.
Ali Kokmen and I have been keeping track of what seem to be increasingly common (or just as likely, more frequently reported) bee swarm attacks. A related incident has struck his old home state of Minnesota, where a crashed truck unleashed millions of bees. I hope all these incidents are not part of a sinister [...]
•What do disgraced reporter Helen Thomas, Ralph Nader, and Edward Said all have in common, besides being nuance-free Israel-bashers? All are of Lebanese descent, perhaps no coincidence (regardless of whether that makes you sympathize more or less with them).
•How much do some people at ABC News hate each other? As seen a month or two [...]
Sorry I didn’t get around to writing about that book on the Victorians (or anything else) in the latter half of last week. I’m still adjusting to my new work schedule at Fox and other tumult — but here, as compensation, is an entry praising a man from England who thinks a bit like [...]
In this superheroic week of the Iron Man 2 premiere, I’m reminded that I’m probably one of the few people who was watching Larry Doyle’s career with interest back before he became a Simpsons producer, New York magazine editor, and novelist — because back when I met him once — when I was a newcomer [...]
After the start of Brightest Day and the parasitic evil of Tax Day, I face my final day at ACSH, and tonight I plan to exit the office carrying the last significant object I need to remove from my office: a giant, black, blasphemous, cardboard cross emblazoned with the words “The Exorcist: The Beginning” that [...]
My computing-machine claims that this is the 1,000th blog entry posted on this site, which means it’s been near-daily since it started just over three years ago. Since yesterday’s entry focused on punk, let’s look primarily at two of the other four legs of the Seavey philosophical table today: science and markets.
•The first thought to [...]
Ali Kokmen tells me this April Fool’s announcement of sci-fi authors writing an authorized sequel to Atlas Shrugged got some people in a tizzy. Let’s hope only people with senses of humor show up to hear me read Rand’s speech “Faith and Force” today (disembarking at 10am from the western steps of Bryant Park [...]
Wednesday, April 7 at 8pm
featuring:
•EverydayHealth.com editor Bryan Harris arguing triumph.
•conservative activist Gerard Perry arguing doom.
•Michel Evanchik moderates and Todd Seavey hosts.
Voting on the question at the end: you, the audience — bring a whole faction if you like, since we plan extensive audience Q&A on this divisive and timely topic.
Free admission, cash bar. Basement level [...]